Nursing
Thokozile Mkhize was studying to be a nurse when she collapsed while watching the sisters insert a drip. Now, she regards her fear of needles as her nursing superpower.
I remember the time I realised nursing was definitely for me. I was still a student — and a patient in labour needed a drip. The sisters struggled to find a visible vein and repeatedly pricked the patient while trying to insert the drip.
I collapsed because I could feel the patient’s pain as if it were my own pain. When I came to, I thought, “Oh my word, I really need to become a nurse. Maybe then, I will make sure I don’t prick a patient so many times.”
Now, when it comes to inserting Intravenous drips or giving injections, I know for sure that I’m very good. Patients always thank me for minimising the pain. I tell them I’m scared of injections, that I don’t want to prick people, that I collapsed when I was a student and that I always make sure I’m gentle. They often say, “Next time I come, I will ask for the nurse who is scared of injections.”
The reward of healing
The Emergency Centre is very different from working in the wards. When a patient comes in, you have to do everything possible to ensure the right diagnosis, so that the next medical team can treat the patient accordingly. What I love is after the patient comes in sick, crying, confused and we’ve treated them correctly, they are smiling, thankful and stable – it’s always a ‘wow’ moment.
Not just a job
Nursing is a calling, not just a job. You come across many different personalities and you have to be able to relate to every patient that comes in. You have to understand the patient: you have to really listen.
Nursing is all about caring and knowing how to show your love for others… it’s a true passion.